Idiot
by BostonSox-Fan
Summary: We're all idiots when it comes to love, right? Well, some more than others.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter. Damn it.

**Idiot**

_By: BostonSox-Fan_

He felt like an idiot. Here he was, once again letting another opportunity to make his feelings known to Hermione pass. Ron watched as Hermione pushed herself up from the warm grass, stretching a bit and giving Ron a meek smile before walking back to the Burrow. When Ron heard the rickety screen door squeak shut, he slapped an open palm over his face, groaning and muttering incomprehensibly to himself. The previous moments flashed through his mind, eliciting another loud groan and few curse words.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in the kitchen, munching on Molly's newest batch of cookies and desperately trying to avoid the subject of their rapidly approaching horcrux hunt. Hermione finally decided to break the tense silence.

"We do need to discuss this. We're leaving the day after Bill's wedding, which is this Saturday. That gives us five days to get our supplies ready, plan our first move, and," Hermione paused to clear her throat, "tell our parents we won't be returning to school."

The strained nature of Hermione's voice made Ron's hand twitch and edge slightly closer to hers, before quickly jerking it back and placing it safely on his knee. Hermione continued on as if she had not noticed the gesture.

"I've told my parents that I'm coming home after Bill's wedding, so we'll have to stop there before we do anything. After I've told them, we can start. Ron, have you said anything to your parents?"

Ron paled considerably, giving a slight shake of his head. He knew that the moment he told his mum, she would go spare and try to lock them up before they could leave. No, he would put off telling his parents until the moment they had to leave.

Hermione seemed to have different plans.

"They need to know, Ron! You should go tell them, right this minute!" She rose to her feet, probably going to go and fetch Ron's parents from the living room. Panic made Ron leap up and grab Hermione's wrist, tugging her outside and away from her destination.

"Ron! What are you doing? Let me go! This is important! You have to tell them!"

"I know I have to tell them, Hermione! But not now! I'm not ready to let go yet!"

Hermione stopped stumbling along behind Ron, inquiring, "What do you mean, 'let go'?" Ron stopped as well, his arm dangling behind him as he continued to loosely hold Hermione's wrist. He took a deep breath, pausing for a few moments to gather his thoughts, before letting Hermione's wrist go. The feel of her skin grazing his fingertips made him shiver, and he dropped to the ground, flopping onto his back and letting his eyes close.

"I'm not ready to let go of this abnormally _normal_ moment. My family is going to be all together in just a day's time; the house will be full again. I mean, even Percy will be home!" Ron felt Hermione sit down next to him, her elbow brushing against his knee as she laced her arms about her own knees. "If I tell my parents now that we're going to be leaving on a hunt for V-Voldemort's soul, then the moment will be broken. Everyone will be worried about us instead of focusing on the wedding, or Percy's return, or Fred and George's pranks, or Ginny and Harry's budding romance, or Charlie's new girlfriend. I just… I need these next few days so I can survive these next few months, possibly these next few years."

Ron opened one eye, squinting over at Hermione. He couldn't see her face, which gave him to opportunity to let his hand hover by her hair, lightly brushing a few stray curls. He finally let his hand come back to rest on his stomach, continuing on with his speech.

"I'll tell them, Hermione, I swear. I just want to tell them after Bill's wedding, so we can enjoy these moments. Come on, lie back here and watch the clouds. Have a moment of laziness." He watched her head turn slightly, looking down at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. Ron grinned at her, patting the grass next to him. And there the two sat in relative silence for the next hour, occasionally pointing out different cloud shapes to each other before lapsing into silence once more. Every now and then his arm would graze hers, and a slight red flush would overtake them both, but neither would say a word. Finally, Hermione decided to go back into the house, probably to lecture Harry on his lack of planning. And that left Ron in his current situation.

After a good ten minutes of lying in the grass, Ron got up and went to find Ginny. She had been giving him advice about Hermione for years now (not that he'd followed it very well), so naturally she would know what to do. He stopped at her door, reminding himself to knock, just in case Hermione was in there. Muffled sobs kept his knuckles from rapping on the door. Pausing to ready himself for his 'big brother duties', he slowly pushed the door open and poked his head around the side. "Ginny?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I didn't own Harry Potter in the last chapter, why would I own him now?

"Get out, Ron!" Ginny screamed, flinging the tear-stained pillow at her brother's head. The pillow bounced harmlessly off the barely opened door, falling to the floor. Ginny watched as Ron merely opened the door the rest of the way, slipped inside, and closed the door behind him.

"Ginny?" Ron tentatively asked again. He moved over to sit next to her on the bed, trying to look her in the eye. "What's up?" Ginny could only stifle another sob with her hand, before flinging herself on her brother and sobbing into his shoulder. She managed to calm herself after a few minutes, and tried to tell Ron what was bother her through her hiccups.

"Not that it's any of y-your business, Ronald, but Harry and I," Ginny's voice cracked a little, "broke up a few days ago, at the f-funeral. Seeing him today just made it that much h-harder." More large tears traced tracks on Ginny's cheeks before she continued. "I told him that I wanted to h-help him with whatever he was planning, but he said he wanted me to be s-safe, and that I wouldn't be if I was with him. I love him, Ron, and I need to help him. I would die for him if it came to that. Why doesn't he understand?"

Ginny burrowed her face back into her brother's comfortable shoulder, trying to take a few calming breaths. Ron was always the brother that she went to for comfort when she was younger; she didn't think she would ever come to him for love troubles when she was older. But here he was, rubbing her back and making shushing noises. After awhile, Ginny felt herself calm down, and moved away from Ron so she could wipe her eyes.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I? Fifteen years old and proclaiming my love for the Boy Who Lived to my brother. This must seem really lame to you," Ginny said, shooting a sad smile to the eerily silent Ron. He shook his head, before finally finding his voice.

"No, it's not lame. It's rather brave of you, actually. Finding your true love, admitting that you love him, and being prepared to die for him, all at the age of fifteen? I'm seventeen, and I still haven't managed to do all that."

Ginny gave another watery smile, ruffling Ron's hair. "Well, you've got two out of three, which is pretty good. All you've got to do is tell her, Romeo."

"Who?"

"Romeo." Ginny received only a blank stare. "Juliet? Shakespeare?"

"Muggles?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," sighed Ron. "Well, I can't well focus on Muggle things when my little sister has a problem, can I?" Ron grinned, feeling as if he had easily changed the subject. Ginny just shook her head, allowing him to think he had succeeded for a minute before giving him a gentle shove.

"I'll be fine. You go on and tell her how you feel."

"But how, Ginny?"

"Seeing as words aren't your strong suit, I'd say actions. Go on now, get!" Ginny shooed her brother from the room despite all of his protests, watching as he descended the flight of stairs with hunched shoulders.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: NOT I do own Harry Potter. I do NOT own Harry Potter. I own Harry Potter NOT! Got the point? Good.

He was an idiot. It was that simple. He had let his one true love go, all so he could go on this stupid quest. Quest? More like disorganized-search-for-unfindable-objects-which-assured-his-death quest. But he would have to do it without her, because if she died and he survived, he wouldn't be able to live life again. Losing one, or both, of his mates would be unbearable, but if she died… Harry shivered, snapping back to attention as Hermione's words faded back into the foreground of his thoughts.

"…and that's why I think we should bring a chisel. Harry? Are you even listening?" Hermione gave a frustrated sigh, rising from her seat. "I'm going to get some water. I'll get you some tea; maybe that will wake you up." Harry watched helplessly as Hermione stomped from the room, brushing right past a rather surprised Ron. Harry was about to make a joke about hormonal girls, when he was silenced by Ron carefully closing the door, keeping his back to Harry the entire time.

"Mate?" Harry questioned, pushing himself halfway out of his seat. "Everything alright?"

"You broke it off with Ginny? Why, exactly?" Ron's hand distractedly raked through his fiery locks, and it was as he turned that Harry realized just how large and intimidating Ron truly was.

Harry's mouth felt uncomfortably dry as he lowered himself back into his seat. "She'll be safer if she's not connected to me."

"Oh," Ron sighed for the second time that day. "Well, that makes perfect sense." Harry began to relax, but Ron began to speak again. "If we follow that logic, then I should disown my whole family. And Hermione should, too. That way, no one will be connected to us, and we can do this whole thing on our own. I mean, three teenagers fighting the most powerful dark wizard of our time all by ourselves, how could we possibly fail? I'll go and tell the family that we'll be off now, since sticking around for the wedding would connect us to too many people."

"Come on, Ron. Don't be like this; you know it was for the best. If I had stayed with Ginny, she would've wanted to come along with us. I can't risk her safety, as well. I'd rather go without her and have her be safe than have her come along and have something happen to her. I left her because I love her."

"Bullshit!" Ron roared, advancing a few paces. Harry's eyes widened in legitimate fear as he realized that Ron had switched roles from Harry's best friend to Ginny's protective older brother. "You're being damn selfish, and you know it! You would rather feel like you've done the noble thing than give yourself over to love. Dumbledore would have wanted more love in the world, and you're just being a coward!"

"Shut it, Ron!" Harry fumed. How could Ron say those things? Leaving Ginny was the right thing to do in this situation! Harry could feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickle at the mention of Dumbledore, and his ire seemed to increase with every tense second.

"She's in danger no matter where she is, at least let her be happy and with you. You're being stupid about this, Harry."

"Oh, and you're the love guru, are you?" Harry didn't remember how he got to his feet, but he was mere inches from Ron, his voice rising rapidly. "I don't see you professing your undying love to our dear Hermione, so don't give me any shit about not giving myself over to love. At least I took that step, and found the love of my life. You, however, are just too sc—" Blood painted the carpet as Harry hit the floor, pain shooting through his nose.

Harry watched through squinted eyes as Ron knocked the bowl of floo powder over in his rush to grab a handful of powder, throwing it into the small fire and shakily whispering the address to Grimauld Place. As the door burst open, Harry rolled onto his back and moaned, watching Ginny and Hermione rush into the room.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: In a surprise plot twist, I do own Harry Potter! However, I sold the rights to J.K. Rowling for some lunch money. What can I say, I'm an idiot.

Hermione quickly took in the scene before her; Harry was on the floor clutching his incredibly bloody face, Ginny was panicking and rushing towards Harry, and Ron was disappearing into emerald green flames looking horrified. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened, especially after what she had heard.

Hermione left the room huffily, not even noticing that Ron was in the hallway. She clanked the glasses around the kitchen noisily, trying to figure out how to get through to Harry. She put on a kettle, filled her glass full of water, and leaned against the counter, frowning as she stared at the sky. Just an hour or so earlier, she had been lying next to Ron, staring at that very same sky. Now, she was trapped in the house trying to get through to a stubborn boy who had far too much responsibility for his age. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ginny pulling out a chair at the kitchen table and sitting down, cradling an empty cup in her hands.

"What's on your mind, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed and shuffled over to the empty seat next to Ginny, dropping tiredly onto the comfortable, broken-in chair. "I can't figure out boys, Ginny. One minute they're there, being attentive and listening, and you feel like you're getting through to them, and the next minute, they're miles away, and don't care about a thing you have to say."

Ginny smiled, turning the cup slowly in her hands. "Is Ron being daft again? I thought I had straightened him out properly, but I guess I'll just have to straighten you out, instead. Hermione, Ron loves you, he really does. He just doesn't know how to tell you. So you have to be his Juliet."

"Juliet?"

"Juliet."

"Have you been reading my books?"

"That's beside the point, Hermione. What I'm trying to say is that he's absolute rubbish at expressing himself, so you have to push him. Go on, he's probably talking to Harry. I'll get the tea."

Hermione began to rise, stopping to place a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Are you alright, Gin?"

"We'll talk later. Right now, you have to go talk to Ron." Ginny smiled, giving Hermione's hand a gentle pat before she began to bustle through the kitchen to prepare the tea. Hermione smiled, thinking the girl was becoming more and more like her mother, before she headed back towards the room she had just stormed out of.

She paused at the entrance. Had she closed the door? Frowning, she reached for the handle, stopping when she heard loud voices. Did Ron just call Harry stupid? Hermione leaned in closer, pressing her ear to the door, even though it wasn't necessary as Harry began to shout.

"—professing your undying love to our dear Hermione, so don't—," Hermione jumped as Ginny placed a hand on her arm, also stepping close to the door to listen to the conversation taking place inside. "At least I took that step, and found the love of my life. You, however, are just too sc—" A loud thump made Ginny throw the door open, running in and instantly going to Harry. Hermione took a few steps into the room, and stood staring as Ron disappeared.

A few hours later, Ron had still not returned to the Burrow, and Hermione was beside herself with worry.

"What if he doesn't come back? Where did he go? We need him, Harry! How could you go and say something so— so stupid!" Hermione huffed, trying once more to get Harry to tell her where Ron had gone. Harry, however, sat stubbornly on the couch, staring moodily at the bloodstained carpet. "Harry, I swear if you don't—," Hermione was interrupted as the flames roared emerald green once more, and Ron stepped into the room.

Ron left the room without saying a word to anyone, the front door slamming noisily behind him as he left the house. Hermione leapt up and followed him, leaving Harry and Ginny to themselves.

"Ron! Ron, wait!" Hermione panted as she finally managed to catch up with the long-legged redhead, placing a gentle hand on his elbow. "Ron?"

Ron whirled around, catching Hermione by surprise. "I love you, Hermione. I swear I do, and I don't care that there's a war on, or that we could die at any moment. I want to be with you despite all of that, because I would rather live a day and have you know that I love you than live a lifetime and not tell you."

Hermione felt the tears gathering in her eyes, but for once in her life, she didn't see the fear and hesitation that usually gathered in Ron's eyes when someone started crying. Instead she saw fierce determination and love, and, oh, was he moving closer? He was! She felt his lips on hers, and even though it wasn't a long kiss, it was one that set off fireworks behind her closed eyelids.

Hermione felt Ron take a step back, keeping his hands rested on her arms. She finally opened her eyes, a small smile curling the corners of her lips.

"I love you, too."

Ron placed a hand over his heart, releasing a large breath and laughing. "I almost had a heart attack for a moment there."

Hermione laughed, as well, getting up on her tiptoes to give Ron another quick kiss. She then gently tugged at his hand, pulling him back towards the Burrow. He gave her a questioning look, but she just shook her head and smiled.

"We've got to go lead by example. Maybe if we tell Harry what just happened, he won't be such an idiot. And you have to go apologize for hitting him."

"But Hermione, that's not fair! He started it! And he wouldn't believe us anyways."

"Why not?"

"Because no one would ever believe that I not only made the first move, but was far more articulate than you."


End file.
